Honoring the roots. Nurturing the bloom.
When pain is met with compassion, transformation becomes possible.
I’m Stephanie
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in California
Long before becoming a therapist, I was drawn to work centered around people, community, and healing. That path has shaped not only how I practice therapy, but also how I show up with my clients today.
I offer a supportive space where you can slow down, explore what you’ve been carrying, and begin to understand your experience in a deeper way. Together, we’ll explore the relationships and lived experiences that have shaped how you move through the world, relate to others, and respond. Through supportive relationship and new tools, perspectives, and experiences, those patterns can begin to shift.
Together, we’ll work toward helping you feel more steady, more connected, and more emotionally grounded again.
MY APPROACH
Using a blend of therapeutic approaches, our work together is tailored to your unique experience, supporting deeper understanding and meaningful change.
As your therapist, I don’t see myself as the expert of your life. I offer a space where you can safely explore and reflect, asking thoughtful questions to help bring clarity to your experience and deepen your connection to your own emotions, needs, and inner wisdom.
The core values that drive what I do
VALUESCulturally Affirming Care
You are the expert on your own lived experiences. I approach each person with humility and respect, recognizing that our lives are shaped by both our personal experiences and the systems we move through.
Connection
Healing doesn't happen in isolation. Meaningful connection with ourselves, our relationships, and our communities can help us move beyond survival and toward a greater sense of belonging.
Curiosity & Compassion
Healing begins when we can approach ourselves with greater curiosity and kindness. Curiosity creates space for playfulness and possibility, while compassion reminds us that we deserve care even in our most difficult moments.
Resilience
I believe the ways you've learned to cope, adapt, and survive tell a story of strength. I aim to recognize and celebrate the strength and wisdom that have guided your path.
EXPERIENCEMy experience
& credentials
Gaining perspectives on life
Before becoming a therapist, I studied Social Relations and Policy, exploring how history, culture, race, gender, class, and politics shape people's lives and relationships.
Alongside my studies, I taught with Teach for India, co-managed a community food program through AmeriCorps, built hiking trails in Southern California, and studied abroad in South India. These experiences broadened my perspective and continue to influence how I understand each person's unique story.
My path to therapy
My own healing journey continues to shape my work as a therapist. During college, a therapist encouraged me to take a yoga class simply "for fun." It opened the door to me exploring somatic healing, mindfulness, Buddhist philosophy, and Ayuvedic medicinal practices.
While I do not formally use these practices within therapy, they have helped me cultivate a level of awareness that allows me to meet my client with a deep presence and holistic awareness.
Get to know me
Outside of therapy, you'll usually find me in nature, hiking, swimming in the ocean, practicing yoga, or exploring new forms of movement. I love cooking, listening to music, creating playlists, and spending time with the people I love.
Whether I'm outdoors, moving my body, or simply reading and resting, these moments help me stay grounded and connected.
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
California (LMFT)
M.A. Marriage & Family Therapy
Alliant International University
B.A. Social Relations and Policy
Michigan State University-James Madison College
Specialized Trainings
Specialized training that informs my practice.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT & EFIT)
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Gottman method
Cognitive Processing Therapy
Trauma Focused CBT
Trauma-Informed (specialized knowledge of C-PTSD and C-PTSD Treatment)
LGBTQ+ Affirming Care
Resilience-Informed: Integrative mind-body approach with application of relational therapy, psychoeducation, cognitive processing, parts work, and somatic techniques
If something here resonates, that’s a good place to begin
This work isn’t about having answers right away. It’s about creating space to listen, to understand, and to reconnect with what feels true for you. When you’re ready, I’m here to help.